Chile’s democratically elected Socialist president Salvador Allende came to power in 1970. Then came the dictatorship that began with Augusto Pinochet’s coup d’état in 1973. It was perhaps logical that the European art world came to the aid of its Chilean colleagues in a great wave of solidarity.

The long 1970s has been connected to solidarity movements. Vietnam, Chile, South Africa, Palestine were among the countries supported by solidarity activists. Several so-called museums-in-exile were created. In particular, one source of inspiration was the Museo de la Resistencia Salvador Allende in Chile. This became a model also for the much older Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s (PLO) Unified Information Office that organised the International Art Exhibition for Palestine.

This booklet documents the Witness seminar that was held 19 February 2017 at Tensta Konsthall, where people met to discuss their involvement in the solidarity movements for Chile and Palestine.